It's Just Not Fair
by TZM001
Summary: Children can be very cruel. Brandon and Stef have to deal with the cruel remarks made by another child in Brandon's class. Stef new there would be an reaction to her coming out, but she never imagined it would be this hard. Thank the heavens for Lena.
1. Chapter 1

Brandon is teased and bullied at school – It's just not fair

_A/N: I do not own any of Fosters Family characters in the story, all rights belong to ABC Family. _

_Thank you for reading. Look forward to your reviews. _

Stef was sitting at her desk, hunched over the mound of paper work in front of her. She rubbed her right eye and rolled her head around her neck, she pushed her shoulders back and squeezed them together to try and release the tension in her body. Stef loved her job but paper work was definitely not one of the things she loved about her job.

"You making progress there Officer Foster" the captain remarked with a snarky smile on her face as she walked passed Stef's desk. The captain new paper work was not one of Stef favourite things to do. If anything Stef would prefer to be out in the field. She felt more affective that way, as though she was making a contribution. Paperwork just made her restless, change has never been affected with paperwork she always thought to herself, however this was a requirement of the job and there was no getting around it, it just had to be done.

"Barrelling through it captain" Stef responded with a hint of sarcasm in her voice

"That's what I like to hear Foster" the captain remarked as she continued walking towards her office.

Stef was busy scribbling notes in various case files, when the phone rang catching her off guard.

"Officer Foster" Stef said as she picked up the phone in relief that she didn't have to worry about paperwork even if it was only for a moment.

"Mrs Foster, this is Mrs Johnson, Vice Principal at Anchor Beach" A woman said on the other side of the line.

"Hello Mrs Johnson, is everything ok?" Stef said as she quickly sat up and raised her eyebrow. She looked at her watch, it was just after 11am, why on earth would the Vice Principal at Anchor Beach be calling her at this time.

"Mrs Foster, Brandon has been involved in a fight at school with one of the other children and we have decided to send both kids home to cool down."

"Brandon – Brandon Foster has been in a fight?" Stef was in complete shock, Brandon had never been in a fight with anyone before, there must be some kind of mistake.

"Yes, I am afraid Brandon was in a fight during the first recess with another boy" the woman on the other line responded calmly. "We have decided to send both boys home to cool down, we need you come and collect him please"

"Aah, I'm at work I – I um need to arrange with my boss to leave work to pick him up" Stef said with a disappointment in her voice.

"That's not a problem will you please let us know what arrangements you are able to make to have him collected."

"I will" Stef responded her face filled with bewilderment.

"Thank you Mrs Foster, goodbye" the woman said before putting down the phone

"Bye" the words barely making it out of Stef's mouth in time before the end of call dialling tone rang. Stef sat back in her chair with a puzzled look on her face. What on earth would have caused Brandon to get into a fight with another child at school, she thought to herself. Brandon had always been well behaved and he knew that fighting was not how he should handle any situation.

"Foster! Snap out of it" Stef heard a loud voice as she quickly blinked her eyes a few times to bring herself back into the present.

"Where the hell were you? You ok?" her colleague asked with a frown on his face

"Yeah, I'm good. Uh...what's up?" Stef tried to act all cool.

"Do you have the Hernandez case file?" her colleague asked looking at the pile of files on Stef's desk

"Ah, Yeah sure" Stef responded as she ruffled through the brown folders strewn out on her desk. She quickly found the folder in question and stretched out her arm to hand it over.

"Thanks, you making progress?" her colleague asked trying to make small talk

"Yeah, aah, will you excuse me for a second I need to go and speak to the captain" Stef's face looked very preoccupied as she got up from her chair. Stef walked over to the Captains office and knocked on the door and waited a second for the captain to look up and gestured for her to enter.

"What can I do for you Foster,... is this about the Rogan case because I have been thinking about that and I think we should let the detectives investigate a little further before we come to any conclusions" the captain spoke waiving the pen she had in her hand in the air.

"Aah no this is not about the Rogan case" Stef responded, distress written on her face

"Is everything OK Foster?"

Stef took a breath before speaking "Aah Brandon has been in a fight at school, and they want to send him home" She was embarrassed that she had just uttered those words, she was not raising a hell raiser she thought "He's a good kid and he's never been in a fight at school before, in fact he has never been in a fight at all. I need to go and find out what might have possessed him to fight with another kid. Normally I would ask Mike to go, but since his suspension he has been drinking even more and I just don't trust him right now to go and sort this out." Stef was rambling, and probably sharing more than she needed to, but she was feeling terrible that she was once again requesting time off work to manage her personal affairs.

Since starting divorce proceedings Stef had gone from a two parent household to being a single mother and the adjustment had been difficult. Shuttling Brandon around, household responsibilities and work, as a single parent is not an easy task. It is easy to take for granted how much easier life can be when there is another person to help carry the load. Stef's relationship with her father was at a difficult point since coming out and with her mother in Florida, she felt as though she had little support and often felt overwhelmed by it all.

"My father is out of town so I'm the only one available at the moment, I know I have been requesting a lot of time off and I am sorry Captain but I have no one else to ask." Stef face went red with embarrassment. "I promise I will take the paperwork home and catch up later in the evening, it will be done by tomorrow morning" Stef continued on, desperate to save face, hoping that this concession would be enough.

The captain leaned back in her large black leather chair and looked at Stef. She took a minute to think before speaking "I appreciate the situation Stef, and I am sorry that things are difficult. Go and take care of Brandon, just make sure that the paperwork is on my desk in the morning" She gave Stef a hard look lifting her eyebrows and a single nod. It was moments like these that Stef was grateful she had a good relationship with the Captain, and perhaps it was beneficial that Mike and Stef worked together, it meant that captain Roberts knew about her situation with Mike and she didn't really have to do too much explaining, even though she hated that half the precincts in 3 different districts knew about her personal life, at no fault of the captains of course.

"Thank you, I will have it on your desk first thing" Relief washing over Stef her face turning back to its natural colour.

"OK now get out of here" captain Roberts nodded in the direction of the door.

Stef gave a nod in gratitude and quickly turned to walk out of her office.

It wasn't long before Stef arrived at Anchor Beach and made her way to the administration's office. Mrs. Johnson was walking out her office just as Stef was about to enter. Mrs Johnson was an older woman in her late 50's, close to retirement; she had a very conservative English teacher look about her. Stef had found her quite up tight when they had met previously, but with many of the teaching staff as well as other parents speaking very highly of her, Stef felt that it was best to keep her opinions to herself in the interest of Brandon's education.

"Mrs Foster, thank you for coming." Mrs Johnson spoke in Stef's direction, as Stef made her way to the door.

"Yes of course, where is Brandon?" concern written on Stef's face.

"Brandon is in my office waiting for you." Mrs Johnson responded as Stef stopped in front of her.

"What happened?" Stef asked sternly

"Jack Donaldson was making fun of Brandon and calling him names and the two boys got into a scuffle on the playground"

"He got into a fight with Jack, Monty Donaldson's son?" Stef was confused and slightly surprised, the two boys new each other well, why would they be fighting with one another. "What did Jack say that resulted in the scuffle?" a frown drawing a crease between Stef's eyebrows

"According to Brandon, Jack called Brandon a dyke" Mrs Johnson responded, raising a single eyebrow at Stef with a slight hint of disapproval.

Stef was completely taken a back; of all the things she had prepared herself for in the car ride to the school this was not one of them. She saw the look of disapproval on the face of Mrs Johnson, Stef's face turned red for the second time that day.

"Mrs Foster, we have a no violence policy at Anchor Beach, and we cannot allow children to think that violence is the answer to solving their problem. We have spoken to both Jack and his parents about the situation and I trust you will have a serious conversation with your son about his conduct and behaviour."

Stef looked at Mrs Johnson, not feeling very appreciative of the lecture she had just received from a woman who clearly did not know her son very well. "This is the first time anything like this has ever happened and Brandon certainly does know that violence is never the answer to anything. But yes of course I will have a chat with him and help him understand that what happened today should never happen again" Stef finished off, realising that this moment was perhaps not the best time to be indignant

"I certainly hope not" was all Mrs Johnson said before extending her hand to open the door to her office where Brandon was sitting.

The five year old little boy looked small in the giant chair he was sitting in. He had his hands in his lap and his head bowed down. His sponge bob square pants backpack on the floor next to him. Stef walked into the room and saw the scrunched up posture of her son, she made her way over to the chair and kneeled down in front of her son. She took her hand and gently placed it on his chin to lift his head. It was clear the little boy had been crying, his eyes were red and tear marks stained his chubby little cheeks. As Stef slowly lifted his face, he battled to look her in the eye.

"I'm sorry mom" he sniffed out in a whisper

"OK baby, let's take you home" Stef responded seeing the guilt written all over her son's face

Stef got up, picking up Brandon's bag with one hand and taking his hand in the other. They walked past Mrs Johnson who looked down at the little boy. "We will see you tomorrow Brandon" She said sternly. Brandon didn't look up and only nodded his head. Mrs Johnson looked up at Stef and gave her a nod, which Stef returned in kind.

The car ride home was quite, Stef looked at her son in the review mirror a few times but he kept his head down and didn't say a word. He carried a little frown on his face, biting his bottom lip, he looked much too serious for a 5 year old little boy, he embodied the aura of a 45 year old man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. When they arrived home, Stef instructed Brandon to go and put his school bag in his room and then she wanted to chat to him in the kitchen. The little boy obeyed his mothers request and by the time he had returned Stef was half way through making them each a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Brandon lifted himself up onto the chair by the kitchen table as Stef put his sandwich in front of him with a glass of milk. She sat down next to Brandon with a plate of her own. Brandon did nothing more than just stare at the plate in front of him.

"You're not hungry?" Stef asked as she titled her head side ways

Brandon just shook his head, not looking up at his mother.

"Do you want to talk to me about what happened at school today?" Stef tried to push as gently as she could.

Again Brandon shook his head and continued to stare at his plate.

"You know you can talk to me about anything Brandon, I promise I will listen and I won't get mad" Stef spoke in a soft and tender voice "What happened between you and Jack today, why did you get into a fight?"

"He said I'm a dyke" the words were spoken so softly Stef barely heard a single word.

"He what, you need to talk up sweets mommy can't hear you." Stef leaned in closer to her son to close the space between them.

"He said I'm a dyke" Brandon repeated, the words crocking in his throat as he looked up at his mother with giant tears streaming down his face.

The look on Brandon's face was filled with anger, sadness and hurt, a lot of emotions all in one for such a little child. Stef swallowed hard, she reached out to pick Brandon up and placed him in her lap as she squeezed him into a tight hug in a desperate effort to bring as much comfort as she could to her son. "I'm sorry my baby"

"I don't want to be a dyke" Brandon said weeping into the comfort of his mothers shoulder

"You are not a dyke sweetheart" Stef tried to sooth Brandon, as she rubbed circles down his back.

"But Jack said you were a dyke, and if you were a dyke then I must also be a dyke" Brandon struggled to get the words out, sobs hiccupping in his throat as he spoke.

Stef pulled Brandon from her embrace, she put her hands firmly on his shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. "Honey, look at me, you are not a dyke, I promise!" Stef managed to get the words out firmly as she tried to choke back the tears that were welling in her eyes and the lump that had formed in her throat. She pulled Brandon back into her chest, her hand resting on the back of his head.

"Baby, when people are scared of something that is different from them, the use mean and horrible words to try and hurt other people" Stef was trying to find the correct words to not only sooth her son but help him understand the situation.

"But why mommy, it's not fair" the little boy wailed

"I know sweetheart, I know." She rocked Brandon gently in her arms.

"I don't want you to be a dyke mommy, please"

"Honey, 'dyke' is a very horrible word and no one should ever call anyone that. Calling someone a dyke is wrong! It is mean and hurtful and we don't want to hurt people right! And your mom is not a dyke sweetheart, ok!" Brandon nodded into Stef's chest.

The sobs had begun to subside and Brandon pulled back from his mothers embrace. "Jack said you left daddy to be a dyke" he looked up at his mother expectantly.

The statement caught Stef off guard. Stef had explained, as well as she could to her five years old, that his mommy and daddy wouldn't be living together anymore, but she felt getting into the intricacies of why was too much for a five year old. Stef knew that at some point she would have to have a conversation with Brandon about her sexuality but she had thought that maybe she had just a little while longer to prepare for that. Stef sat for a moment looking at her son, unsure how to respond.

"I don't want you to leave daddy mommy, please! I want him to come home" the look on Brandon's face was pleading.

Guilt ran through Stef's chest and jumped up and down her heart making her chest close and ache in pain. The muscles in her neck stiffened and her lower back began to hurt.

Stef took a deep breath and decided that honesty was the best policy right now, this moment would shape her sons life and she owed him honesty. Stef lifted Brandon off her lap and put him back in his chair, she looked straight at him, "B sweets, I know you love your dad, and I know that you want him to come home but remember when mommy told you that sometimes mommies and daddies don't live together even though they love you and each other?"

Brandon starred back at her eyes wide open and nodded as he listened intently to the words coming out of his mother mouth. "Don't you love daddy anymore, is that why you don't want him to come home?" For such a young age Brandon was an intelligent little boy, Stef loved this about her son but in this very moment she wished he wasn't as astute as he was, it certainly would make her life much easier.

"No honey, I care about your daddy so much, I – I..." Stef stumbled, taking in another deep breath; she paused for a moment searching her brain. Brandon continued to look at her with a puzzled look on in his face; he wanted answers he could believe in.

"Honey your daddy will always be very special to me, you know why?" Brandon shook his head "...because he gave me you!" Stef finished off, raising her eyebrows, and giving Brandon a smile. Stef could see in the little boys face that this wasn't going to be enough.

"But sweetheart, there is a very special way that a mommy is supposed to love a daddy and your mommy doesn't love your daddy in that special way, but that doesn't mean your mommy doesn't care about your daddy very much, ok" This statement only seemed to puzzle Brandon more, he pushed his eyebrow together and titled his head to the side mimicking a look Stef wore very well.

"Honey, there are many different ways you can care for and love someone"

"There are?" Brandon looked at Stef in surprise.

"Yes there are. For example you love your music teacher Mrs Rogers, right, but you also love grandpa. You love them both but it's different right?"

"Umhum" Brandon nodded "Mrs Rogers teaches me to play really good music, but grandpa...is grandpa" Brandon shrugged his shoulders, the words to explain the different emotions much to advanced even for her intelligent young sons vocabulary, but he seemed to understand the concept.

"Exactly!" Stef responded. "Grandpa is grandpa he's very special to you, and even though you love going to music classes with Mrs Rogers, you love grandpa differently. That's the same with mommy and daddy, mommy just loves daddy differently"

"But why?" Brandon enquired; although the little boy seemed satisfied with the answer provided he still felt the need to ask why, the eternal curiosity of a child.

"Well because mommy is a lesbian" Stef paused and looked for the reaction in her son.

"What's a lesbinan?" Brandon's tongue got caught as he tried to pronounce the word. Never had the word lesbian sounded so cute, it brought the most delightful smile to Stef's face.

"Well sweets; a lesbian is when a girl likes another girl" Brandon took a moment to consider the concept. "Oooh" he returned, the muscles in his face seemed to loosen and the sweet innocence that seemed to have been taken away from him when Stef had picked him up from school had returned. Of all the answers this is the one that seemed to satisfy him. Stef spotted an opportunity to refocus the conversation back to what happened earlier at school.

"So Brandon sweetheart the next time Jack or anyone calls you or me or anybody else a mean word, I need you to tell them that it's not true, you tell them that what they are doing is wrong and hurtful and then I need you to go and tell your teacher ok. No more fighting on the playground, that is not how resolve problems in this family yes?" Stef put on the most serious look she could, putting her hands on his knees as she emphasised the last sentence.

"Yes mom" Brandon responded, looking back down at his lap, instinctively knowing that what he did was wrong.

"Ok, why don't you finish your sandwich and then maybe you can pull out a puzzle or one of your other toys to play with while mom finishes some work she has to do. Can you be a good little boy for mom while she works?"

Brandon nodded and turned his body around to face the forgotten plate of peanut butter and jelly sandwich; he reached out and took a sip of his milk before grabbing his sandwich with both hands and taking a big chuck out of it.

Brandon was hard at work with a puzzle piece; while Stef was sitting at the table working through the paperwork she had promised captain Roberts she would attend to, when there was a knock at the door. Stef made a quick note in the file she had been working on before she got up and made her way to the door. She was surprised at the site that greeted her.

"Hi" Lena said.

"Hi" Stef returned, unknowingly a large smile grew on her face. Lena returned the smile, her face filled with delight.

"Can I come in" Lena requested looking at Stef.

"Of course, please, I'm sorry" Stef spoke as she stood aside to let Lena in.

Lena walked in and immediately saw Brandon sitting at the table, the little boy lifted his head and a huge smile spread across his face when he saw Lena. "Miss Adams" he squirted out. His smile very quickly turned into a frown, fear taking over. Stef closed the door behind her and as she turned, she saw the fear wash over her son.

"You're not in trouble B" she turned to Lena to validate her statement.

Lena looked over at Brandon "No you're not in trouble Brandon" Lena responding quickly, instantly realising the look on Stef's face.

The tension quickly dropped and relief filled his little body. Lena smiled at him, "what are you working on?" she said as she walked over to the table.

"I'm working on a puzzle, look" he responded very proud of his efforts.

"Wow that's amazing, look at that!" Lena crooned

A big smile spread over Brandon's face, pride beaming through his big brown eyes.

"B, honey, can you take your puzzle into your room so you can give mommy and Miss Adams a chance to talk?"

Brandon looked up at his mom. "It's ok sweets, we just need to talk, I promise you're not in any more trouble" Stef quickly added

Brandon; looked over at Lena, who returned his gaze with a smile. He picked up his box filled with puzzle pieces and made his way to his room. No sooner had Brandon disappeared, Stef turned her body and instantly fell into Lena's arms. She tucked her head into the crook of Lena's neck and planted small butterfly kisses just above her collar bone. Lena let out a tiny giggle.

"Hi" she responded as she wrapped her arms tightly around Stef's body.

"Hi" Stef whispered back, before she pulled back from her embrace to give Lena a tender kiss on the lips. When their lips parted they both looked at each other intently, taking the other in, and letting the newness of their newly established emotions wash over them.

It had been less than two weeks since Stef had stood in the parking lot and declared herself eligible and worthy of Lena's affection. Since Lena had allowed herself to surrender to the emotions she felt for Stef. Since they had both began their journey towards committing to one another.

Lena was the first to break the silence. "Mrs Johnson told me that Brandon got into a fight this morning, is he ok?"

"He's fine, now" Stef responded as she pulled back from Lena's arms.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there when it all happened, I was in a meeting. I came as soon as Mrs Johnson told me what happened" Lena spoke as both she and Stef made their way to sit at the table.

"It's not your fault" Stef smiled, Lena's concern for Brandon warming her heart.

"Mrs Johnson said that Brandon got into a fight with Jack Donaldson, but she didn't care to explain why?" Lena asked; sincerity all over her face. "I don't understand, why would Jack and Brandon fight I thought they were friends?"

"I don't think it's Jack, I think it's his father, he and I work together and I suspect Monty has been mouthing off at home since he heard I'm a lesbian and Jack has probably picked up on what his dad has been saying and let it out at school"

"What did he say" Lena asked concern written all over her face

"He called Brandon a dyke"

Lena sighed heavily, "Parents really should be careful about what they say in front of their children, how is Brandon doing?" Lena responded trying hard to maintain her calm demeanour, realising that this was not the time to get all flustered and rather keep the focus on allowing Stef to express herself.

Lena knew that Brandon was a sensitive little boy, with a gentle soul and a kind heart. In the time that she had spent with Stef and Brandon she had come to adore the little boy. It pained Lena to think that he was being made fun of at school

"I should talk to Jack's parents..." Lena started before Stef quickly cut her off.

"No no, please don't, I don't want to complicate this situation anymore, and I don't want you to be in the middle" Stef quickly spat out. It's not that Stef didn't appreciate what Lena was trying to do; she just didn't want to exacerbate the situation even more. No one knew that Stef had left Mike for Lena; it was all still so knew they hadn't really told anyone. Both women were content on living in their little bubble for a while, just figuring things out from themselves first, aware that when the news did break there would be reactions from many quarters.

"Are you sure?" Lena said giving Stef a stern look

"I'm sure, but thank you for wanting to help" Stef said with a sincere look of appreciation on her face. It filled Stef with so much love that Lena wanted to jump in and defend her and Brandon.

Stef dropped her head, tears started to roll down her face.

"Stef, honey..." Lena leaned in to put her forehead against Stef.

"It's not his fault, he's done nothing wrong, he shouldn't have to suffer because of the decisions I have made" Stef croaked out in a gentle whisper.

Lena pulled Stef into a hug. "It's no-one's fault Stef, if there is anyone to blame here it's Monty Donaldson, he's the adult, he shouldn't be making inappropriate remarks in front of his children. He shouldn't be making inappropriate remarks at all." Lena knew how much Stef loved Brandon and how protective she was of her son, it was obvious for anyone to see.

Stef pulled back from Lena, "I know that, but it broke my heart to see him upset like that, I've never seen him so hurt, so angry, he's only a little boy he shouldn't have to be dealing with any of this"

"I know; I know" Lena said sympathetically "But you know what; Brandon loves you, he's a smart little boy and I am sure he knows this is not your fault. You are a fantastic mother Stef; you've done nothing wrong here."

Stef smiled at the remark, Lena had some magic power that knew just the right thing to say at the right moment that would make the world seem ok. "Thank you for coming over" Stef whispered in appreciation.

"Of course" Lena smiled back, the two women continued to hold each other. This level of intimacy, the feeling of connectedness, warmth and comfort when in Lena's arm was so knew and exhilarating it sometimes took Stef's breath away. "Can we just stay like this forever" Stef remarked, educing a laugh from Lena

When they finally managed to unwrap themselves from their embrace, Lena looked over at the pile of files on the kitchen table. "And this?" She said gesturing towards the stack.

Stef let out a sigh, as she looked down at her homework "I promised the captain I would have these finished by the morning. I've been taking a lot of time off work and the Captain isn't very happy with me I don't think"

"She must understand how difficult the situation is at the moment, right?" Lena probed.

"She does, she's been very kind at giving me the time off, I guess I just feel guilty for having to take this much time off lately." The police force was a male dominated environment and as a female officer, Stef often felt the pressure to live to the male expectation of work commitment that was perhaps unrealistic for a newly single mother.

"Stef, you know you can call me any time when things get too much, I want to be here for you...and Brandon" Lena took Stefs hand "We are in this together you and I"

"Why are you so amazing?"

Lena smiled back at Stef "Because I am in love with you" Lena made that statement sounds as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Mom can I come out of my room now" Brandon asked tentatively standing at the entrance of the kitchen.

Both women jumped at the sight of the little boy, immediately letting go of each other as they turned their heads.

"Yes of course honey" Stef responded looking at her son.

"Can Miss Adams come see my puzzle, I'm finished." Brandon asked walking closer to where the two women were seated.

Lena smiled at Brandon, "Brandon honey, I would love to come and see your puzzle" she said as she extended her hand.

Lena turned to smile at Stef as she walked behind Brandon who pulled her towards the direction of his bedroom.

_A/N: Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read this story, an even bigger thank you to everyone that has taken the time to post a review. _


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: I do not own any of Fosters Family characters in the story, all rights belong to ABC Family. _

_Thank you for reading. Look forward to your reviews. _

Stef sat back down at the kitchen table hoping that she might finish working on the case files she had promised the captain, before Brandon and Lena got back, and before she had to start dinner. Time flew without Stef realising and before she knew it, an hour had passed and neither Lena nor Brandon had returned. Stef got up and made her way down the passage, the closer she got to Brandon's room she heard a gentle voice that spoke softly and melodically like a warm gentle summer breeze swishing through the trees.

"...He was a real rabbit at last, at home with the other rabbits. Autumn passed and winter, and in the spring while the boy was out in the wood, two rabbits crept out and peeked at him. One of them was brown all over, but the other had markings around his fur and about his little soft nose and around his back eyes there was something familiar. So the boy thought to himself..._'why he looks just like my own bunny that was lost when I had scarlet fever'_. But he never knew that it really was his old bunny, come back to look at the child that first helped him to be real."

"Why didn't the boy know he was his old bunny?" Stef heard Brandon ask, as she stood outside the door to his bedroom out of site.

"Well because when we are kind to people and we show them love, and compassion we change them for the better and they change us for the better, and sometimes as a result we can't even recognise them" Lena spoke in the same soft and gentle tone she had use to tell the story.

"So the little boy loved the rabbit so much and was so kind to the rabbit that he changed him into a real rabbit?" Brandon returned

"Yes, and the rabbit was so kind to the little boy that when he was sick he helped him get better" Lena replied. "Do you know the moral of the story?"

"What's a moral?" Brandon asked innocently

"A moral is the important lesson we should learn from the story, something we must take away after reading the story and carry it with us in our hearts wherever we go so we can learn from it. Morals help us become better people"

Brandon had a curious look on his face, "So the moral...is we must always be kind?" he asked.

Lena winked at the little boy who looked up at with big brown eye, unsure whether he had given the correct answer "Yes that's perfect, you are very clever. We must always be kind, even if someone else is being mean to us. Good things only happen to people who are kind to each other" Lena retorted with pride beaming through her eyes and a giant smile at the answer Brandon had given her.

"I was mean to Jack today" Brandon spoke with disappointment and shame in his voice as he bowed down and looked at the floor in front of him.

Lena stretched out her arm and wrapped it around the little boys shoulder and pulled him close to the side of her body.

"Why where you mean to Jack today?" Lena asked wanting to give Brandon an opportunity to tell his side of the story.

"He called me and mommy a dyke" his tiny little squeaky voice became even more high pitched as he tried to control the hurt and discomfort he felt as he spoke the words that obviously had affected him deeply.

"That wasn't very nice of him; dyke is not a nice word. I'm really sorry that he said that to you Brandon" Lena responded with sympathy. "But you know that is not true right?"

Brandon nodded.

"I pushed him" Brandon spoke the words as though he was in confessional.

"Were you angry when you pushed him?" Lena asked

Again Brandon nodded; "He was saying mean things about my mom" he looked at Lena, expecting understanding.

"And that hurt your feelings, didn't it?"

"Umhum" Brandon nodded again fiercely, his hair bouncing up and down his head this time. "I'm sorry"

"It's ok to be angry when someone is calling you or your mom or anyone mean and hurtful names, no one should be allowed to do that, it is very wrong! When someone does that they are being a bully, and it is not very nice or kind to be a bully. But you know that pushing them or fighting with them is not going to make it better, it will only make it worse." Lena looked Brandon in the eye as she spoke the words

"I'm sorry!" sorrow filled Brandon's voice, his lips curling down to the floor.

"Can I ask you to do me a favour?" Lena asked as she looked down at the little boy.

"Ok" Brandon starred back at Lena.

"The next time Jack or anyone does anything like that, say or do anything that is mean or hurtful to anyone, can you come and tell me? I promise that you won't get into trouble and I will do everything I can to make sure that it doesn't happen again. Do you think you can do that?"

Brandon nodded

"Ok good, thank you" she shot Brandon a big smile. "You know your mommy is so lucky to have you" Lena pulled Brandon in close to her as he rested his shoulders on her chest and she gave him a tiny kiss on the forehead. It was hard not to fall in love with this charming, kind and delightful little child.

A tear rolled down Stef's cheek as she stood outside the door listening to the conversation between Lena and Brandon. Her heart filled as she placed her left hand over her chest. She took a deep breath to gather herself before she stepped into the room.

"Hey you two, I was wondering if you had disappeared" she remarked looking down at Brandon tucked under Lena's arm. The two of them setting on the floor at the foot of Brandon's bed, their legs stretched out in front of them.

"Lena was reading me a book" Brandon responded quickly.

"She was? What was she reading to you?" Stef asked, pretending not to have heard anything before this moment.

"The Velveteen Rabbit" Brandon picked up the book to show his mother.

Stef slowly walked into the room to stand in front of both them.

"Aahh that's the book grandma got you" Stef smiled

"I like the way Lena tells the story mom"

"You do, I thought you liked it when I made '_all the different voices'_" The tone of Stef's voice becoming deeper and badly imitating a Southern accent in an effort to make a British accent, as she uttered the last four words in her sentence.

"I like Lena's voices better" Brandon responded without realising exactly what he had just said. His child like innocence making it sound much cuter than it really was.

Both Stef and Lena let out a laugh, Lena looked up at Stef apologetically. "Well then my little rabbit, you are going to have to convince Lena to read it to you again" Stef slowly crept towards Brandon her arms stretched out, her fingers wiggling. She leaned down and tickled Brandon's stomach as she picked him up off the floor and wrapped her arms around his waist, planting giant kisses all over his cheeks. Brandon let out a series of high pitched little shrieks of joy as he wriggled around in his mother arms.

The laughter from Stef and Brandon filled the room, Lena smiled at the two of them. Their laughter slowly came to an end, like an echo fading into the distance.

"Ok my little maestro, time for your bath, then dinner" Stef put Brandon back down on the floor.

"Can Lena stay for dinner?" Brandon asked

"Well, that's up to Lena, I know you and I would love for her to stay for dinner" Stef made the remark looking at Lena expectantly.

Lena looked up at Stef then back at Brandon, "Brandon, I would love to stay for dinner, thank you."

"Ok, great, why don't you take your clothes off while I run you a bath and then you can help me make dinner" Stef looked at her son. How much she loved this little boy in front of her.

Stef ran Brandon's bath, and Lena went back into the kitchen to return a phone call she had missed earlier in the day. It took just under 40 minutes for Stef to give Brandon his bath and get him into his pyjamas. As they both walked into the kitchen they were greeted with the most aromatic smell, it hit them both like a wave in the ocean. Standing in the kitchen was Lena, decked out in an apron, hard at work.

"Wow mom, it smells so good" Brandon stood with his mom at the door.

"Lena..." Stef began but was interrupted before she could get the next word out.

"It's nothing impressive, it's just pasta, and I'm almost done. Brandon, would you mind helping me finish setting the table" Lena continued, she didn't miss a beat

"Ok" Brandon responded quickly making his way over to the table.

"Can I do anything to help?" Stef asked looking at Lena and Brandon arrange the table settings.

"Nope, just sit down and relax, dinner will be served in about 5 minutes" Lena said looking over at Stef with a huge smile.

Stef walked around the kitchen table towards where Lena was placing the salad, she stretched out her arm and put it on Lena's shoulder. Lena turned to look at Stef with a smile on her face, the look on Stef's face was filled with appreciation, 'thank you' Stef mouthed as she walked passed and sat down at one of the set places at the table.

From the outside looking in you would have been forgiven for admiring this perfectly happy little family sitting down for dinner together. Stef took a moment to look around the table and appreciate just how incredible this site was. Her entire life the world had her believing that to have a family, to be a family it required a man and a woman to be married in matrimony and bare children. This is the family her father and the church had taught her to believe in. But as she sat as looked around the table at the two people who held her heart in their hands, the contentment and satisfaction confirmed that the choices she had made where right, this was family, this felt like home and nothing could ever bring Stef more joy. There were times, much like today, where she questioned if she had done the right thing, the strain of ending her marriage, her fathers disapproval, Mike and his drinking was overwhelming even at the best of times, but this site, sitting at dinner and watching Brandon and Lena chat away without a care in the world. She knew for the first time since standing in that car park and declaring her love for Lena that this was the best decision she had ever made. This is the family she wanted; this was the family she longed for, and if it meant walking away from everything she had been taught to believe in then she wouldn't change a thing, this is the life she wanted, this is what brought her joy.

"Mom, this is better than your pasta" Brandon tried to speak with a fork full of spaghetti hanging from his mouth.

Stef snapped out of her daze of happiness "Hey now, you love my cooking" Stef responded playfully trying to feign disappointment.

"Yeah, but this is really good mom" Brandon responded as he put another fork full of pasta in his mouth.

"Brandon, honey, slow down and we don't talk with our mouth full please, and wipe your mouth, you have sauce everywhere I don't want to have to give you another bath" Stef restrained herself from laughing at her son shaking her head.

"This is really fantastic Lena, thank you for cooking dinner" Stef looked over at Lena who tried to help Brandon wipe the sauce off his face.

Lena stretched out her hand and placed it on Stef's and gave it a gentle squeeze, Stef intertwined her fingers in Lena's and squeezed back. Both turned to look at Brandon who was happily making good in roads into his pasta dish, the site made both women smile. They all finished dinner, and enjoyed a little ice cream for dessert. After dinner Brandon sat down to watch his allotted 1 hour of TV before, before getting settled for bed. Stef and Lena tag teamed the dirty dishes before Stef sat down to try and finish the last of the paperwork she had yet to complete. Lena joined Brandon in the TV room. An hour passed before Stef walked into where Brandon and Lena had managed to curl themselves up on the couch.

"Hey Buddy, time for bed" Stef spoke up as she admired the view

"Aaaahhh mom, five more minutes please?" Brandon tried to convince his mother, he looked over at Lena in the hopes he would find some support. Lena lifted her eyebrow giving him a very stern look that said, nice try buddy but that's not going to work with me look.

"Come now, none of that tonight, up and at em kiddo. Say goodnight to Lena"

"Good night Lena, thanks for the delicious supper" Brandon leaned in to give Lena a big hug

Lena leaned in and embraced the little boy "Thanks for helping me with the table, you did a great job. Good night, sleep tight"

Stef ushered Brandon into his room and helped him climb into his bed and under the covers.

"Ok my little guy; thanks for being a good boy while mommy worked this afternoon" she rubbed her hand over his chest.

"Mom" Brandon asked

"Yes baby"

"Can Lena come over more; I like it when she comes over"

"You do" Stef was surprised at the statement her son had just made, but she was delighted that Brandon loved having Lena over as much as she did.

Brandon nodded with a smile in return

"You just want her to cook you dinner and read you stories, don't you?" Stef lifted an eyebrow suspicious of his motives "I like it when she comes over too buddy, I'm glad you like Lena. Mom likes her a lot and I would really like it if we could all spend more time together" the remark was both a statement and a question

Brandon smiled "Cool" Stef gave Brandon a gentle wink, which he tried to return but he ended up blinking instead.

It seems both the Fosters duo had been charmed by one Lena Adams.

"Ok my little whipper snapper, sweet dreams, mommy loves you" She gave him a giant kiss on the forehead.

"Love you too mom" Brandon curled himself under the covers.

Stef switched off the bedroom light and left the door ajar, so light came in through the passage. She made her way back towards the kitchen where should found Lena looking over the kitchen counter making a cup of tea. Stef walked behind Lena and wrapped her arms around her waist and buried her head in the mound of hair on Lena's neck. She placed small gentle kisses on the base of Lena's neck. She lifted her left hand to brush Lena's hair to the side allowing her to continue kissing her way up behind her ear. Stef relished the feel of Lena's skin on her lips, the sweet taste of body lotion mixed with perfume. Stef pushed up against Lena's back as Lena rolled her head back onto Stef shoulder and moved it over to the side to give Stef room to bury her face in her neck. The moment was sensual, filled with passion both women allowed themselves to get completely lost. Stef made her way from behind Lena's ear towards her jaw, Lena slowly turned her body to face Stef, and Stef tenderly traced her lips along the bottom of Lena's jaw, stopping at the bottom of her chin then slowly making her way up towards her mouth. Stef slipped out her tongue and Lena opened her mouth just enough to let Stef slip her upper lip between Lena's lips, sucking deeply on Lena's bottom lip. Lena enveloped her lips with Stefs. Lena's mouth was warm, her lips where full and supple. They stood in the middle of the kitchen engulfed in each other, their bodies pressed tightly together, Lena's hands griping Stef's back desperately clutching onto her. Stef ran her right hand through the back of Lena's neck and into her hair. There was nothing, nothing in the world but the two of them relishing in the pleasure of being in each other's arms. They embodied everything that two people newly in love could be. Stef could not get enough of how Lena tasted, how her body felt wrapped her arms, she pushed herself harder against Lena's body, slipping her right leg between Lena's legs. Lena moved her left hand slowly down towards the base of Stef's back down, she ran her hand over Stef's butt down to her leg and grabbed the top of her thigh, her nails digging into the denim of Stef's jeans, pulling her leg towards her body feeling the top of her thighs grind against Stef's leg. This feeling, the sensation made goose bumps crawl up Stef's spine, she felt her body tingle with pleasure. She had never felt so close to someone in her life. Their parting was the result created by the necessity to breathe, Lena gently bit on Stef's lower lip as they slowly pulled their lips apart, an effort to draw her back. Stef pulled back in letting her lips settle on Lena's. They placed their foreheads against each other, their eyes closed, their breathing the only thing filling the space between them. They did not utter a word; they stood there in silence letting their love for each other wash over them like rain falling from the heavens. Stef was the first to smile, she let out a little laugh, and Lena joined her.

"I want to, you know I do...but Brandon..." Stef uttered softly.

"I know, it's ok" Lena responded understanding Stef's situation. She gave Stef one more kiss on the lips.

Stef growled hard, as she forced herself to pull back from Lena's embrace. Her heart was beating fast and she wanted nothing more than to continue but she knew if she didn't stop now she would never be able to. Her mind told her she needed to be a responsible parent, but her body screamed to behave like an irresponsible teenager. Stef rolled her body to lean against the kitchen counter. They stood there in silence for a while.

Lena broke the silence. "It's getting late I should go" the statement was half hearted, and unconvincing.

"NO, not yet please" Stef sounded a little like Brandon as she cried out.

Stef reached out and took Lena's hand in hers, bringing it up against her chest wrapping her other hand over knuckles.

"Thank you for today" She lifted Lena's hand and gave it a kiss. She let their hands rest on her chest.

"You're welcome. I meant what I said earlier Stef, I want to be here for you" Lena looked over at Stef.

Stef smiled as her memory was filled with the conversation she had with Brandon before she put him to bed. "It seems I'm not the only who's heart you have stolen, Brandon asked if you could come over more, he likes having you around that much"

Lena smiled proudly. "He's a fantastic little boy, he reminds me so much of you"

"I want to tell him about us, let him know that we are more than friends, I just don't know how"

"Just be honest with him, that's all kids want...honesty"

"I've had to explain to him that his parents are getting divorced, I feel like I'm turning his entire life upside down and after today, I'm scared that he won't understand and that it will freak him out" Stef took a deep breath "He begged me not to leave Mike because he doesn't want to be dyke, what if I tell him and he turns on me, and you. What if he doesn't understand" the words were full of fear as they tumbled out of Stef's mouth. A confession of her darkest fear, yes Brandon liked Lena but what happens if he doesn't like the idea of his mother being with Lena. How on earth were they going to navigate their way around that? Brandon was her life, Lena was her heart.

They both stood there for a moment in silence, contemplating the reality that the success and happiness of their relationship could easily rest in the hands of a five year old little boy. If Brandon didn't accept this union, he could make life incredibly difficult.

"Brandon loves you, he wants' you to be happy, trust that!" was all Lena could think to say.

Stef nodded her head, and lifted Lena's hand once again to give her a kiss on the back of her hand.

It was Lena's turn to take a deep breath. "I really should get going" she looked over at Stef trying hard to look as though she wanted to go, but failing miserably. "You still have a lot of homework to finish and I have a meeting first thing in the morning."

Stef squeezed Lena's hand before letting it go, her hands instantly feeling cold. She looked down acknowledging that Lena made a point that was difficult to argue with.

"Dinner was amazing, we both look forward to more of your cooking" Stef remarked as she lifted her face to give Lena a goofy look.

Lena laughed as she made her way to the other side of the kitchen to pick up her bag. They both slowly made their way to the front door.

"My dad is coming back on Thursday; I'm going to try and arrange to have him take Brandon on Saturday night and you I can go out for a date and maybe..." Stef had a massive childlike grin plastered all over her face.

"And maybe what Office Foster?" Lena smiled as she leaned into to Stef and wrapped her arms around her waist.

"And you know...other stuff" Stef giggled.

"No I don't know, whatever do you mean Officer Foster" Lena looked incredibly adorable when she was being playful.

Stef leaned across towards Lena's ear and whispered something that made Lena laugh out loud that she had to put her hand over her mouth very quickly. Stef pulled back, her face was plush red but she had a huge smile from ear to ear.

"I'd better go before this gets out of hand" Lena could barely contain herself from laughing.

They pulled into a tight embrace, squeezing each other hard.

"I love you" Stef spoke, the words were sweet innocent and filled with sincerity. She had never meant those words as much as she did in this moment.

"I love you" Lena affirmed

They untangled themselves and gave each other one more kiss, before Lena took hold of the door.

"Saturday?" Lena's eyes were expectant.

"Saturday!" Stef replied with a smile.

"Drive safe; let me know when you are home!" Stef rubbed Lena's arm.

"I will...bye" Lena said with a smile

"Bye" the words soft and melancholic as Stef watched Lena walk out and close the door behind her.

_A/N: Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read this story, an even bigger thank you to everyone that has taken the time to post a review. _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I do not own any of Fosters Family characters in the story, all rights belong to ABC Family. _

_Thank you for reading. Look forward to your reviews. _

Stef pulled her duffle bag from the back seat and got out of the car; she started the long walk towards the office. Stef had become accustomed to the starring and whispering as she walked through the office over the last few weeks. Coming out after having been married to one of their colleagues for over 5 years was bound to cause controversy, Stef knew this, but to say that walking through the office didn't leave a sting on her heart and a lump in her throat would be a lie. Children weren't the only ones capable of being cruel; adults did just as well too.

It's times like these where you discover who really has your back and who doesn't. Those that cared for Stef and considered her a friend where forthright in the questions they had, in their confusion as to why, as it seemed to them, that Stef would come out of the blue like this. When you have known someone a certain way for as long as you have known them, it can be incredibly confusing when you are told that they are no longer the way you knew them to be. They were bound to have questions, and Stef understood this, she answered as many of them as she could with as much honesty as she could. But let's face it these are cops we are talking about, they beat their chests, they chase after bad guys and they avoid talking about their feelings as much as possible, so for the most part many kept their distance, some might have been afraid; some just didn't want any part of it but either way true colours shone bright.

Monty Donaldson was sitting at his desk, leaning back in his chair, his morning cup of coffee in his left hand and daily paper in his right. Monty liked to come in early, read the paper and drink his coffee before starting off the day, he once remarked that it helped him decompress from the morning with his wife and kids. He was the offices rising star, pinned to be a detective very soon. He was an ambitious guy who had been in the force for a little longer than Stef had. His charming personality, green eyes and blond hair meant he was loved by the ladies. They called him the green eyed quarterback.

Stef decided that it was best to get this resolved first thing, clear the air and get back down to the business of being a cop. She took a deep breath, held her head high and walked over to his desk and spoke with confidence.

"Morning"

Monty looked up at Stef from behind that paper, as though he was looking at her over his glasses. "Morning Foster, is there something I can do for you?"

"Can we have a word?" Stef asked without flinching.

"About what?" his voice was cold and biting.

Stef looked him dead in the face, her eyes were strong and her face hard and unwavering. "About Brandon and Jack, can we go somewhere a little more private?" This was not a conversation Stef wanted to have in public.

He pulled a snarky disinterested face and looked back at his paper "I have nothing to say to you about that"

Stef's blood began to boil, this guy wasn't serious. "OK well I have something to say to you about that, and I would prefer not to do it in front of the whole office. So can we go over there and talk please!" Stef pointed towards the direction of one of the open meeting rooms.

"Look Foster, if you are expecting an apology, you are barking up the wrong tree coz you aint gonna get one"

Stef clocked her head to the left and bit her lip "Oh, so you acknowledge that you do owe me an apology"

The tension in the air was palpable, those that were in the office could tell something was up and shit was about to go down. They tried to look as though they weren't paying any attention but they were watching with eagle eyes. Stef could see them in the corner of her eyes; she could feel their beady eyes looking at them. Stef didn't want a scene, but she wasn't about to back down, she had to stand her ground. This was serious, Brandon is her son!

"Look here Foster" Monty put his paper and coffee down on his desk, leaned forward so his chair was positioned upright again and looked up at Stef. "I don't give a shit what you do, and who you do it with. But I tell you what, you bring that shit near me or my son and I'm not going to tolerate it. That, whatever it is that you are, is not natural I don't want it near me I don't want it near my son, I don't want it near my family. Stay away from me and keep you son away from my son! And we will be just fine" He sat back in his chair indignation written all over his face.

Stef was red with fuming, her heart was racing and her ears we ringing, she couldn't believe what was coming out of this man's mouth. Up until this moment she had considered Monty a friend, Stef knew his wife Megan, Brandon and Jack practically grew up together, they barbequed and she and Mike even spent thanksgiving with them once.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Spat out ferociously

Monty looked Stef up and down. "What the hell is wrong with you Stefanie?! It's unnatural, and quite frankly I think it's disgusting! You should be ashamed of yourself for spreading that homosexual nonsense, this is evil, IT'S A SIN AGAINST NATURE...!" Monty didn't bother to keep his voice down, it was clear that he had been bottling all of his anger up and now he was letting it spew into the air and like venom spitting from a cobra.

Stef didn't bother to let him finish "...THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ME!"

Stef huffed as though she were out of breath when she spoke. Her emotions creeping to the surface with every word "Who I love has nothing to do with you or anyone else. Here is a fact Monty, I am not ashamed of who I am, and I am sure as hell not going to allow you or your son to convince my son that he should be ashamed of me, himself or anyone else that maybe different from him or his family" Stef's face was red, but she spoke with conviction, confidence and heart. She knew the whole office had stopped what they were doing and watching them and she wanted them all to know just how she felt about his ignorance and arrogance. There was no turning back at this point; it was all out in the open. This situation was a ticking time bomb, and that bomb had just exploded.

Monty stood up and faced Stef dead on. "You liberals and your liberal bullshit is what is wrong with this country. You come here trying to infect the rest of us with your filth..."

"...Your arrogance is unbelievable; you don't have a clue about what is best for this country let alone anyone else!" Stef was vigorous in her expressions, she leaned forward her nose and eyes inches away from Monty's face. The two of them looked like bulls in a pen, neither backing down, both with their horns out ready for the fight of their lives. The office was at a standstill, their bellowing voices reverberating through the air.

Monty didn't let Stef finish. "My arrogance...20 years ago, you would have been at home sowing my socks Foster! Now you're here acting like you have a pair of fucking balls! You have no idea what it is like to be a man, what it takes to be man...

They two were shouting over each other, barely allowing the other to finish speaking "I don't want to be a man..."Stef shouted back without warning

"FOSTER, DONALDSON IN MY OFFICE, NOW!" the voice rang through the office. They both whipped their heads to see the Captain standing in the middle of the room. Her eyes were irate, her body stiff as a pin and her anger radiating through the room. The room was silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Stef and Monty fallowed the Captain into her office. The tension in the air was overwrought. As soon as they entered her office the Captain closed the door behind them and began speaking.

"I don't know where the hell the two of you think you are but this is not a school ground. If you two want to argue like a pair of teenage girls you do it in your own time somewhere where the entire office can't hear or see you!" The Captain made her way around her desk and stood in front of both Stef and Monty who stood side by side.

"Captain! Foster..." Monty began whining like a school boy but the Captain cut him off before he could get another word out.

"I don't want to hear it Donaldson. I want to set the record straight, I WILL NOT tolerate any form of sexism or homophobia in this prescient am I clear!" The captain voice was firm, unwavering and hard.

"Captain..." Monty tried to protest aggressively

"I don't want to hear it, if you don't like it, find another prescient" She leaned forward on her desk and looked Monty straight in the eye. "Do I Make My Self Clear!" the Captain spoke every single word slowly and definitively. Her eyes were piercing her jaw was clenched, and Stef could tell that she was silently telling Monty that if he even bothered to open his mouth beyond this point he would regret every second after that.

Monty stood looking at the Captain, for a moment he thought about challenging her. Stef looked at the two of them starring each other down. The moment lingered in the air like a bad smell. And just as Stef thought Monty might challenge the Captain, he backed down. His body posture slumped; he looked down at his feet."Yes captain" the words were bitter, begrudging and forced.

The Captain stood back up and straitened her shoulders "Now the two of you had better resolve whatever the hell this is, this is a police station not a school ground"

Monty and Stef nodded at the Captain "Yes Captain" they both recited almost in unison.

"Ok, now get out of my office!" She sat back down in her chair as Stef and Monty turned and quickly made their way out the Captains Office. Neither of them looked at the other, walking straight to their respective desks. Stef threw herself into her chair. Monty huffed and puffed his way out the office muttering below his voice.

Officer Rodriguez, one of Stef colleagues leaned in from across his desk as Stef sat down. "That was intense. You ok?" He whispered

"Yeah, I'm good" Stef put on a brave face, putting on a cross between a grimace and a smile, as she ran her fingers through her hair. Her brain was struggling to take in what had just happened, adrenaline was pumping through her veins, her mind was racing, and her chest was tight, she tried to take in deep breaths to calm her nerves and slow her breathing.

"He's an ass, don't let him get to you" Rodriguez said in a sympathetic voice. Stef looked over at Rodriguez.

Lena was sitting at her desk, looking at new entrant files when the phone rang.

"Lena Adam" She recited as she always did when she answered the phone.

"Ms Adams" A familiar voice came from the phone.

"Yes Mrs Johnson what I can do for you" Lena responded politely.

"Would you mind joining us in the main boardroom for a meeting with a parent please?" the request was polite and inviting.

"Yes of course, is everything alright" Lena was surprised, it was unusual to have a teacher parent meeting at this time of the day this early in the year unless something was wrong.

"I will explain when you get here"

"I'm on my way" Lena advised. She got up from her desk and made her way out her office.

When Lena entered the boardroom Mrs Johnson was sitting at the head of the table and a short, brunette was sitting adjacent to her. The woman wore a choral dress and silver necklace; she let her hair hang down her shoulders. Her make-up was subtle but flattering. Lena recognised the face but struggled with the name. She looked over at Mrs Johnson as she walked to sit opposite the woman on the other side of the table. Mrs Johnson got up from her chair.

"Ms Adams this is Mrs Donaldson, Jack Donaldson's mother. Monty is one of our kindergarten students"

"Yes of course Mrs Donaldson, how are you?" Lena extended her hand to shake the other woman's.

Mrs Donaldson stood from her seat. "Ms Adams, I am well and yourself"

"I'm doing great thank you for asking" Lena responded politely.

Mrs Johnson spoke as both women took their seats. "Mrs Johnson, Mrs Adams here is in charge of student enrolment evaluation and class placement. Ms Adams, Mrs Johnson has come to us today requesting that Jack be moved to another class."

"I don't understand" Lena looked around at both women, with surprised look on her face.

Mrs Johnson was the one who spoke first. "My husband and I feel that Jack might be better served in another class"

Lena leaned back into her chair and dropped her shoulders in disappointment. "I am correct in assuming that this has to do with Brandon and Stef Foster?" Lena's heart sank

"Yes, my husband and I would prefer to have our son in an environment that does not contradict our beliefs and values" Mrs Johnson wriggled uncomfortably in her chair as she spoke.

"I see" Lena took a deep breath and thought carefully about what she would say next. "Mrs Johnson we encourage diversity at Anchor Beach and believe that children that are exposed to an environment that is diverse have a much richer learning experience and it serves them better later in life" diplomacy was one of Lena strong suites and she was well versed in finding the right words at the right time.

"Ms Adams, my husband and I are not bad people, we just don't believe that being exposed to homosexuality is healthy for our child" Mrs Johnson looked straight forward, and spoke with conviction.

"Well, I have spent some time with Brandon and as far as I am aware he has not expressed any sexual orientation, he's only 5 years old so I think we are still quite far from that stage where he might be questioning is orientation"

"He might not have but his mother has, and we don't know what she is exposing Brandon to and we don't want our son around that"

Lena was quick to respond, she leaned forward and placed her hand over her heart "Mrs Johnson, I can assure you, Stef is nothing but a caring, loving and devoted mother. She's an amazing woman and is raising an incredible young man..." Lena spoke with passion, admiration and soul. Her face lit up, her eyes beamed with pride and joy as she spoke about the woman she not only had fallen in love with but respected deeply.

"...Mrs Foster, you mean Mrs Foster is a caring, loving and devoted mother" Mrs Johnson interrupted Lena giving her a stern look. Mrs Johnson was in her late 50's and close to retirement. She had a very conservative approach to education and how she dealt with faculty matters. She disliked familiarity and preferred a disciplined approach.

Lena looked over at Mrs Johnson, gathered herself and continued to speak "...Mrs Foster is a fantastic mother Mrs Johnson and I can assure you that neither Brandon or your son is being exposed to anything that may harm them"

Mrs Johnson was becoming agitated as she listened to Lena talk "I don't want my son around someone who is raising their son to be a homosexual" the words were biting as they came out her mouth.

Lena could not believe that in 2005, there were still people so completely ignorant about sexual orientation. Lena realised that a compassionate please was not going to be received well in this case and decided that a different approach was needed.

Lena straightened herself in her chair "Mrs Johnson, sexual orientation is not something you can teach someone, it is something you discover."

Mrs Donaldson turned to look at Mrs Johnson. "I don't want my son to be exposed to the gay lifestyle, if you refuse to move him, I will be forced to take him to another school"

Lena decided to try another approach. "Mrs Donaldson as I am sure you remember, during the admissions process we require students to undergo an assessment. This assessment process is done to evaluate the child's ability to learn and aptitude. This assists us in placing our children with the right teacher but also group the children with the same learning ability together. Jack is in our highest class, if we were to move him, he would be moved to a teaching level that is lower than his aptitude requires."

Mrs Johnson looked at Lena "Ms Adams perhaps we can re-evaluate Monty situation and find alternative arrangements to accommodate him"

Lena looked back at Mrs Johnson, anger brimming through her eyes. She had never discussed her sexual orientation with Mrs Johnson, although it was a well known fact amongst the faculty that Lena was a lesbian, she resented the fact that she seemed to supporting the notion that there was something wrong with Brandon or the way Stef was raising her son.

"Mrs Johnson, while I respect that we want to make sure we accommodate our students and their parents, I don't believe that we will be serving Jack's best interest in removing him from a class that he is not only best suited for his ability to learn but he seems to be enjoying because one of the students parents is a lesbian. There is nothing wrong with Stef Foster or her son that would warrant any level of concern let alone require us to move a child unnecessarily"

Mrs Johnson looked at Lena, the tension in the air between them thickening with every heartbeat. "Mrs Donaldson, we will review the situation and see what we can do to accommodate your son" Lena eyes nearly fell from her face as she looked at Mrs Johnson in dismay. Did she really just commit to moving a child from his class because a parent of one of the students was gay?

"Thank you" Mrs Donaldson responded to Mrs Johnson as she rose from her seat to shake her hand. Mrs Donaldson looked over at Lena "Thank you for your time Ms Adams" she remarked politely and began to walk towards the door. Lena nodded at Mrs Donaldson and watched her extend to shake Mrs Johnsons hand.

"We will be in touch shortly" Mrs Johnson remarked as she shook Mrs Donaldson's hand.

The two women exchanged goodbyes and Mrs Johnson closed the door behind Mrs Donaldson.

Lena spoke as she stood "You are not seriously going to entertain the idea of moving Jack because his mother is a lesbian are you?"

"One of the key principals of our school is making sure that we provide an environment that accommodates both parents and students Mrs Adams. As an administrator I expect you to understand that" Mrs Johnson spoke calmly as she walked past Lena back to her seat to collect her notebook and pen.

"I do understand that, but it is not only against school policy to discriminate but it is illegal to use someone's sexual orientation to discriminate against them. As an administrator I would expect you to understand that." Lena spoke with passion and conviction.

"Ms Adams perhaps you are not impartial to this situation and you should recues yourself from further involvement" Mrs Johnson's tone was accusatory and implying. Lena looked back at Mrs Johnson and tried to assess whether she thought she was implying what she thought she was implying. The women looked at each other intently for a long moment, letting the unspoken sit and linger in the air.

As Lena stood there looking at Mrs Johnson, her heart compelled her to tell Mrs Johnson about the love she felt for Stefanie Foster, how much joy this woman brought her, how safe she felt in her arms, the admiration and respect she had for the type of mother she was. But her experience and her mind told her that she shouldn't, coming out was a difficult process and Stef's experience was not easy and Stef had the right to her privacy, they both did. With all the drama that was unfolding telling the entire school was not going to make life easier. They needed to wait, allow the dust to settle before they declared their love for each other. Lena knew there would be reaction and they needed to manage that reaction, for Brandon's sake if nothing else. So Lena chose in that moments not tell Mrs Johnson that she was deeply in love with Stefanie Foster, she was going to put Stef and Brandon's right to privacy first. She decided that she would have to figure out how to fight this battle another way, but sure as she breathed she was going to do everything in her power to make sure she protected Brandon's best interest.

Lena steadied herself "We should discuss at the admissions meeting on Monday." she spoke calmly. She stood from her chair and walked out the room.

Stef walked through the door, grocery bags in hand, Brandon at her feet. She dumped the bags on the kitchen table and told Brandon to go to the bathroom to freshen up. It had been the world's longest day. After her altercation with Monty that morning, she had been involved a hostage negotiation where a convenient store clerk and a bystander had been held at gun point. Thank fully no one was injured. However it meant that she arrived late to pick Brandon up from his play date after school and then tried to negotiate her way through peak time traffic to make it to the grocery store to collect a list of items for dinner. By the time she and Brandon made it home Stef was finished and she hadn't even got dinner on the table. As she unpacked the groceries from their bags, there was an unexpected knock on the door.

"Dad" Stef was surprised to see her father. She knew he was due back from his trip this morning and was hoping she might convince him to take Brandon the following night so she could get some well needed alone time with Lena, but she certainly did not anticipate him arriving at her home out of the blues like this.

"Hi Stef" he responded standing in the door way. "Can I come in?" he asked.

"Sure" Stef stepped aside to let him in. "How was your trip?" she asked politely

"It was good, really good. It's why I'm here actually" he turned to look at Stef as she closed the door.

"GRANDPA" aloud screeching voice sounded from the other room. Before Frank had a minute to turn and see where the noise was coming from he was greeted with a loud thud on his leg. Brandon wrapped his arms around his grandfather's legs and looked up at his with joy and delight radiating from his face.

"Hey Brandon" Frank looked down at Brandon a smile breaking the wrinkles in his face. He bent over to pick the little boy up, moaning as he lifted him to settle on his arm. "OOOOHHHH, you're getting so big" he remarked bouncing Brandon up and down "Someone's been eating his vegetables!" he spoke with a slight tune in his voice.

Brandon smiled at his grandfather "I don't like vegetables."

"You don't" he remarked with a smile.

Brandon shook his head earnestly in response "I like Pizza"

"Pizza, just like your mom" He looked over at Stef reminiscently as he spoke.

Brandon and his grandfather had a delightful conversation as they sat at the kitchen table while Stef continued to unpack the groceries. The sight was heart warming, grandfather and grandson enjoying each other's company, the moment was not lost on Stef as she watched and listened to the two of them. The time Brandon spent playing with his grandfather allowed Stef time to prep dinner and run Brandon's bath.

"B, sweets, it's time for your bath" Stef said as she walked back into the kitchen where her father was bouncing Brandon up and down on his knee listening to Brandon chat away.

"Aaaahhhh but mom, I'm playing with Grandpa."

"I know sweets, but it's time for your bath, so I need you to be a good boy and get in the bath please" Stef was not in the mood for a bath time argument.

"I don't want a bath" Brandon responded with a sulking face.

"Brandon, not today, get in the bath please" Stef was losing her patience, her nerves where wound like a tightly bound spring.

"I don't want a bath!" Brandon shouted at his mother.

"Brandon Foster get in the bath, now" Stef shouted back, pointing her arms in the direction of the bathroom.

"Brandon, why don't you run and get in the bath and I will be there in a minute ok" Frank interjected, lifting Brandon to the floor.

Frank turned to look at Stef "He reminds me so much of you." He said with a slight laugh. "He seems to be doing well?"

"We're both doing fine dad"

There was uneasiness in the air between them, a disconnect that made conversation difficult and strained. Two people who desperately wanted to connect and find common ground but didn't know how or where to begin.

"You were telling me about your trip" Stef tried to break the uneasy silence that had fallen between them.

"Yes, it's why I'm here actually"

"Oh, why are you here?" Stef stopped what she was doing and leaned against the counter and crossed her legs in front of her and folded her arms as she looked at her father.

"I was speaking to father Michael and he was telling me that he knows a family that has experience with this type of thing, you know the _homosexuals_..." the word homosexual was spoken as a whisper, like a deep dark secret. Stef didn't have strength for this, not after the day she had had, she thought to herself. "...and he told me that they have had success with finding a cure for people who..."

"For people who what dad?" Stef interrupted with animosity.

"...for people who suffer from... your condition" he finished off hesitantly

Stef clenched her teeth and tried to temper her anger, she couldn't believe she was about to have this conversation for the second time today. "I'm not sick dad; I don't suffer from an illness. I'm gay, I'm a lesbian. It's not something you can cure like the common cold!"

"Well know at least there is a cure for the common cold" Frank remarked before continuing, not bothering to allow Stef time to respond. "Honey, all I am saying is that there is hope. We can make this right, and you and Mike can get back..."

"Dad, Mike and I are getting a divorce, I don't know how many different ways to say it that will help you understand, but the fact remains the same, we are getting a divorce!" Stef clenched her fists as she spoke, her voice hard and rough.

"Stefanie, you have a family, think about Brandon and what this must be doing to him. Every child wants to grow up in a family with their mother and father"

The words hit Stef like a train, she was instantly transported to the conversation she had with Brandon. All he wanted was for his father to come home and for them to live a happy family life. The guilt ran though Stef like a snake in the grass, making her skin crawl and her stomach turn.

She closed her eyes and swallowed hard "Brandon is fine!" she spoke to convince herself, more than her father. "There is nothing wrong with me, I don't need to be cured...and...I think you should leave" She opened her eyes and looked her father in the eyes before turning her head to the door.

"Stef..." he began but Stef lifted herself off the counter and walked towards the door. Frank bowed his head got up from his seat slowly and followed Stef to the door where he found her waiting with the door open.

"Bye dad" She spoke, her voice cold, biting and unwelcoming.

Frank walked towards the door and stood in front of Stef "I'm trying here Stef"

"I need you to try and accept who I am!" she looked into her father's eyes. Frank turned and walked to the car without a word. Stef closed the door behind her and leaned herself against it and let out a deep breath.

Stef had a hard time explaining to Brandon why his grandfather left without saying goodbye and by the time she got him out the bath into his pyjamas and served him dinner she had lost her appetite. As she sat and watched him eat; her phone rang and a notification reminder popped up on the screen, 'Meeting with Richards and Associate Attorneys 10am'. Shit; she had completely forgotten that she had made an appointment to meet with lawyers to discuss her divorce. She rubbed her hands over her face and looked at her son. She hadn't arranged for Brandon to stay with her father, she wasn't about to ask him after he had implied she had a diseases, and the last thing she wanted was to take Brandon to a meeting where she would be discussing her divorce from his father.

When Stef stepped into the shower later that evening, it was the first time that day she had a moment to herself; she let the water cascade over her body, concealing the tears that streamed down her cheeks. As she stood in the middle of the shower, the sound of the water hitting her body and falling to the floor filled the room around her, it was loud enough to drown out the tiny sobs that escaped involuntarily. The cloud of steam that had foamed in the bathroom created a shield that allowed her to remove the steely armour she wore for the world.

It was 22:45 when Stef crawled into bed, she had hoped that the shower would help relax her muscles but she could still feel every knot in her shoulders. She looked at her phone to find a text message. _'I miss you' _sent at 21:30. She looked at her watch and wandered if Lena might still be up, she pressed reply '_I miss you so much! You still awake?' _It took less than a minute for the response to come through, the beeping sound making Stef's heart jump with delight. _'Still awake.'_ The sight of the message brought a smile to Stef's face, she exited the message section and immediately dialled Lena's number, the phone rang twice.

"Hey" a gentle voice came from the other side. Lena's voice reminded Stef of the soothing feeling one gets when they take a warm sip of hot coco on a cold winters day, the joyful warm sensations that run through your body.

"Hey" Stef sighed into the phone. For the first time that day, Stef felt the tension in her body ease. She rolled her head around her shoulders. "I'm sorry I didn't respond earlier, it's been a crazy day"

"Are you ok, do you want to talk about it?" Lena asked

Stef sighed "Not right now, I just need to think about something other than today. How was your day?"

"I'm sorry you had a tough day, when you are ready I'm here!"

"Thanks, tell me about your day" Stef smiled into the phone, straightening herself up in the bed.

"I'm not ready to talk about my day either; I get angry just thinking about it"

"Why what happened, are you ok?"

"I'm fine; I had a disagreement with Mrs Johnson and I hate to say it but I can't wait until she's retired"

Stef couldn't help but laugh "Aaahhh Mrs Johnson, she a delight, she has a wonderful way of making you feel..."

"Making you feel inadequate" Lena chipped in, with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Yeah right, inadequate" Stef laughed a genuine laugh. "She's very old school isn't she, she has an amazing way of making me feel like I did when I was 10 and was called into the principal's office for climbing a tree at school"

Lena chuckled "You got into trouble for climbing a tree?"

"Yeah, we were playing with a Frisbee and someone accidently through it into a tree, and I decided to climb up and fetch it, but I got stuck"

Lena tried hard to contain her laugh "You got stuck in a tree?"

"Don't laugh at me" Stef tried to contain her own laughter "Getting up was easy, getting down was a much harder than I thought"

"I'm sorry, I'm not laughing I promise, what happened?" Lena tried to make her voice sound serious with concern.

"I got up the tree but then I couldn't exactly figure out how to get down, so they had to call the fire department to help me get down" Stef spoke sheepishly

Stef could hear Lena try to stifle her giggles on the other side of the phone, and even though she wanted to be mad at Lena for laughing at her, she couldn't bring herself to get mad the sound of Lena's laugh.

"Only you would need to be rescued out of a tree by firemen" Lena shook her head with amusement

"Well, none of the other boys where brave enough to climb up the tree"

"Stefanie Foster you are something else, and I love it"

"Well I'm glad I could make you laugh" Stef had a big grin on her face.

They continued to chat about the childhood shenanigans and childhood memories that made them laugh, or at least Stef did most of the talking and Lena did most of the laughing.

Before they knew it, it was 1:35am in the morning. Lena was the first to realise "It's almost 2am Stef"

"What" Stef looked over at her watch, she had to be up early to get Brandon ready and get to the lawyers. "Shit" she hadn't made arrangement for Brandon.

"What's wrong?" Lena reacted to the change in the tone of Stef's voice.

"Noting, sorry, I forgot I have to meet with the lawyers to discuss my divorce options tomorrow morning"

"Right, do you want me to come with you...you know for support?" Lena asked hesitantly

"It's ok I'll be fine, thank you" Stef thought for a second "Actually can I ask you a favour?" Stef's voice was soft.

"Of course, you can ask me anything" Lena response was immediate.

"You don't have to or anything, I'll understand if you are busy..." Stef stalled nervously as she tried to gather the courage to ask.

"Stef, what is it..." Lena could tell Stef was nervous.

"Um...would you mind looking after Brandon while I met with the lawyer's tomorrow morning" Stef voice was apologetic "I completely forgot about this meeting and I would ask my dad, but thing are difficult between us right now and...

"...Stef honey, I'd be happy to look after Brandon" Lena realised that Stef felt uncomfortable asking her but she was delighted that she had, she honestly didn't have anything planned other than her usual Saturday morning routine, but even if she did have something planned she would have cancelled it without a second thought. Lena wanted nothing more than to be a source of love and support to Stef during this period.

Stef swallowed hard, "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Nothing would make me happier than to spend time with Brandon"

Relief and appreciation washed over Stef "Thank you!"

"You don't have to thank me...I love you"

Stef's heart swelled with emotion "I love you"

They let the comforting moment wash over them, the contentment and joy at finding each other filling the distance between them.

"We should..." They spoke at the same time, then stopped and laughed.

"We should get to bed it's late, what time is your meeting" Lena spoke first.

"10am" Stef responded

"Ok, I'll be there at 9?" Lena replied

"Perfect, now get some sleep, you"

"Good night"

"Night...don't let the bed bugs bite" Stef remarked her voice filled with playfulness that elicited a tinny giggle from Lena.

_A/N: Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read this story, an even bigger thank you to everyone that has taken the time to post a review. _


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I do not own any of Fosters Family characters in the story, all rights belong to ABC Family. _

_Thank you for reading. Look forward to your reviews. _

The beeping sound came from a distance like slow a train. As the noise got louder and louder, Stef came to, she extended her arm and pressed the off button. She rolled onto her back and slung her arm over her eyes. She took a deep breath, pulled the covers off and got up out of bed. By 8am Stef had managed to get Brandon out of bed and breakfast laid on the table. Mother and son sat at the table eating their blueberry pancakes, fruit salad and yoghurt.

"Brandon honey, mom needs to go to a meeting this morning for a few hours"

"Is it for work, can I come?" Brandon asked looking up from the table

"No, it's a very important meeting but I was thinking maybe you would like it if Lena came to stay with you while mom was out?"

"Yay, I like Lena, she's really good at telling stories" Stef smiled, it brought her joy to see how much Brandon had connected with Lena.

"Ok great, I won't be long I promise"

"Ok" Brandon responded as he turned to put a fork full of pancakes in his mouth. "Can we watch a movie tonight?"

"Sure honey"

Stef watched Brandon play with his matchbox car on the table, she looked at his sweet innocent face and she knew that it was important to talk to him, yes he was young and maybe he wouldn't understand but Lena was right, she needed to be honest with him. She pulled her chair up next to him, her chest was pounding; heat started to move up her back and rise to the back of her neck. She rubbed her hands over her thighs a few times.

"Brandon, honey, can mom talk to you for a minute?"

Brandon looked at his mother with big brown eyes and nodded, his giant ball of curly hair bopping up and down with every nod.

"Do you remember when I told you what a lesbian is?"

"A lesbinan is when a girl likes a girl" Brandon responded

Stef smiled "Good boy, you remember! That's right; sometimes girls like boys, and boys like girls and sometimes girls will like girls and boys will like boys"

"Why mom?" Brandon had an inquisitive look on his face that made his brows scrunch together.

"Why what honey?"

"Why do girls like girls?"

"Well honey, it's the same when a boy likes a girl. One day you will meet someone, maybe it will be boy and maybe it will be girl but when you meet this person they will make you laugh, you will love spending time with them, talking to them about the things that make you happy and the things that make you sad. And whenever you think about them you will feel a very special romantic love."

"Eeewww, romantic like kissing?" Brandon pulled a squeamish face as he spoke, that made Stef laugh out loud. "Yes, like kissing"

"I don't like kissing" he responded

"You don't, not even when mom gives you lots of kisses all over your face." Stef leaned in to cover his face with a million tinny kisses.

"Moooomm stOOOp!" He wriggled around, moving his head from side to side trying to stop Stef's onslaught of kisses.

They both laughed as Stef pulled away.

"When you are a handsome young man, you'll love kissing" Stef gave him a wink.

Brandon paused for a moment, you could see that he had a thought cross his mind as he tilted his head and looked up at his mom. "Will I like kissing a boy or a girl?"

The question caught Stef off guard and by surprise, she stumbled for a second thinking about the best response "Um...I don't know sweets, when you are bigger you will know"

"How?" Brandon looked confused

"Well...Uh...When you are bigger you will start having feelings, romantic feelings and when you have those feelings for someone, you will know. But honey, you don't have to worry about that now; all you have to do right now is be the sweet, fantastic and amazing little boy that you have always been."

Brandon looked at Stef with a very serious face. "Mom"

"Yes baby"

"Why don't you have romantic feelings for dad anymore?"

"Uh...Well honey... sometimes...sometimes feelings change. In the beginning you can have romantic love for someone but then that love changes and it becomes a best friend kind of love." Stef steadied herself once more "Remember when mom told you that there are different ways you can love someone?"

Again Brandon nodded

"I love your dad like a best friend, honey; your dad will always be very special to me"

"Because he gave you me!" Brandon responded with a big smile on his face

"Yes, and there is no one I love more than I love you" Stef opened her eyes wide, leaned in as though she was about to give him a big kiss, but when he moved his head to the side seeing what was coming, she pulled back with a smile.

"How do you feel about mom and dad not being together anymore?" Stef hated asking the question but she remembered Lena mentioning that it was important to provide Brandon opportunities to express himself, and make him feel heard.

"I'm sad" he bowed his head as he spoke "I wish daddy didn't have to live in another house"

"I know sweetheart, and I am sorry that you are sad. B, you know you can talk to me anytime you are feeling sad, yes?"

Brandon looked back up at his mom "When can I see dad again?"

"I don't know honey" Stef immediately saw the disappointment wash over Brandon's face "But I tell you what, I'll give your dad a call later today and let's see when we can arrange for you to spend some time with him, how does that sound?" There is nothing more painful as a parent than seeing your child hurting.

The smile that spread on Brandon's face immediately made his eyes sparkle. "Can we call him now?"

"Not now, I still want to talk to you about something very important, but I promise I will give him a call later today" The disappointment was less heartbreaking, you could see that he longed to see and spend time with his father.

Brandon turned to grab his glass of orange juice and took a sip before turning back to look at his mother. Stef pinched her shoulders together as she tried to find the words to finish what she had started, they had veered off her carefully prepared script. The nerves returned, her stomach twirled and her shoulders stiffened "Brandon, can mom ask you something important?"

"OK" his sweet face looked adorable, reminding Stef of a simpler time in life, when life seemed far less complicated and stress free.

"How do you feel about mom being a lesbian?" Stef straightened her shoulders and watched Brandon carefully as he thought about the question.

Brandon took a moment. "I don't know...its ok I guess" he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't like it when the other kids make fun of you" he spoke softly.

Those words felt as though a pin hit Stef's heart; that created a sharp pain in her chest; the pain rose through her body and settled at the bottom of her throat. "I'm sorry that they make fun of you my love, you know what they say is not true!" Stef fought hard to hold back the tears from rolling down her face.

"I know, but it makes me mad" his eyes dropped to the floor as he spoke

"I know baby, but you know what, they say those mean things because they want to hurt and scare you. The best thing to do, is not get mad, walk away and go and tell an adult"

"Why?"

"Well honey, I think bullies are sad and angry about something in their lives and they bully to make themselves feel better. Bullies don't like people who are strong they like to pick on people who they think aren't as strong as them, so the best way to deal with a bully is to be brave, tell them you are not scared of them and go and tell your teacher, and then I want you to tell me, ok?"

"Ok"

"Mom"

"Yes baby"

"I think it's ok that you are a lesbinan" The words were filled with sincerity and Stef could tell that he meant every word. She immediately felt the weight of the world lift from her shoulders, the lump in her throat subsided. The words were honey in her ears. For the first time since she came out she felt as though she could breathe, he was ok, he would be ok, and everything she feared had vanished with 9 magical words.

"Thank you baby, that means a lot to mom" she extended her arm to rub his shoulders in appreciation.

Brandon smiled back at his mother. Stef looked at Brandon and saw a young boy she was so incredibly proud of. He was kind, he was intelligent and he was sincere, and she knew in that moment he would grow up to be a fantastic young man. Raising Brandon was the greatest joy of her life.

This conversation had not gone as Stef had planned, but the conversation was far more rewarding than she had ever expected. Connecting with her son like this felt amazing, seeing how he was handing all that was happening around him made her proud. She knew she had made the right choice to speak to Brandon. It gave her the confidence she needed to carry on.

"Brandon sweets, how would you feel if mom told you she felt a special romantic love for another woman?"

"Oh" Brandon took a moment "Are you getting married?"

"No honey, we are not getting married" Stef said with a smile, as crazy as she was for Lena she wasn't ready to jump into another marriage, never mind that it was not legal for two woman to marry, but that was a conversation for another day.

He pulled the same squeamish face he had pulled earlier. "Do you like kissing her?"

Stef couldn't help but laugh "Yes I like kissing her" she replied. She continued to stare at Brandon looking for something that might suggest he was unhappy about what she was telling him, but he seemed more contemplative than emotional. After a long moment of silence Stef spoke again.

"B, honey, how would you feel if mom told you that she had special romantic feelings for Lena?" Again Stef looked intently at Brandon for signs of how we was receiving the news. You could see the wheels turn in his little brain as he took in the information.

"Do you love her?"

"Yes I love her"

"Is Lena why you don't love dad anymore?" he asked with concern in his eyes

Stef's response was immediate; the last thing she ever wanted was for Brandon to think that Lena was the reason why his parents were no longer together. "No honey, I promise you, Lena is not the reason why your dad and I aren't together anymore." Stef took a deep breath. "The romantic feelings I have for Lena are not the same as the feelings I have for your dad. Brandon honey, please don't blame Lena for what happened with me and your dad, this is not Lena's fault and this is not your fault."

"Then whose fault is it?" He asked; the frown on his face enhanced by his dark eyebrows scrunched together.

"It's no-one's fault sweets. Things change; and I know that it is difficult to understand and is very frustrating but the older you get the more you will see that things are always changing"

"But I don't want things to change, I want them to stay the same" Brandon voice was whinny.

Stef sighed hard "I know you don't, but change is a part of life. Do you know why things are always changing?"

"No" he said reluctantly

"So we can grow and learn, if things don't change then we don't grow and we don't learn and become better people."

"I don't want to grow and learn, I want to stay the same" he folded his arms over his chest, his lips pouting.

"You don't want grow, you want to stay a little boy forever and ever...like Peter Pan?" Stef voice was playful.

Brandon's face lit up with delight "Yes I want to be like Peter Pan!" he spread his arms out wide.

Stef reached over and picked Brandon up and placed him on her lap "Well then I should cancel your birthday party" She raised one eyebrow, anticipating a response.

"No, I want to have my party" he snapped back at Stef

"But you just said you don't want to grow and change, if you don't grown then you never get older which means no more birthday parties, and while all your friends turn 6 and 7 and 8 years old, you will still be 5. And when all your friends go to big school, you'll stay in kindergarten."

"Nooooo, I want to have my party, I want to be 6, and I want to go to big school"

"Staying the same is not fun is it?" Stef asked pulling him in close to her chest

"No" Brandon shook his head from side to side.

"Change is a good thing honey, lots of good things come when things change"

"Like what?" Brandon looked up at his mom

"Like...when you started going to school, that was a big change. You weren't staying at home all day and it was exciting right? You made new friends; you learned knew things from your teachers." Stef looked down and Brandon and saw him thinking hard. "And remember when we moved from our small apartment to this house, that was kind of scary moving into a new neighbourhood and meeting new people, but now you have a garden to play in and you can ride your bike up and down the street, and you love this house, right?"

"This house is my favourite; it's the best house ever" Brandon chirped

Stef smiled "Sometimes change can feel scary, and it's ok to be scared but change is a good thing. You should never be afraid of change my love" she kissed Brandon on the head.

Stef paused for a moment "Are you OK?" she rubbed gentle circles down his back.

Brandon nodded "I'm ok"

"Promise" Stef asked to make sure

"Promise" he responded looking up at his mother.

"Ok good; and if you ever feel scared or sad or angry or anything you'll come and talk to mom, yes?"

"hhmhm" nodding seemed to have become one of Brandon's specialties, something Stef is convinced he picked up from his father.

She brushed her hands through his hair "Ok good. Would it still be ok for Lena to come and spend time with you today?" the question was tentative, softly spoken.

"Yeah, it's ok" he replied

"I love you B"

"I love you too mom"

The sight of mother and son sitting at the kitchen table locked in an embrace was heart warming; the golden rays from the morning sun created a golden glow around them.

Stef was drying the dishes when she heard the knock on the door. She dried her hands, placed the dish towel on the counter and made her way to the door. The sight that greeted her when she swung the door open was pure perfection. The light was in the perfect position, creating a halo effect around the giant curls that encircled Lena face. Her face glowed, her eyes shone bright, her smile filled the air.

"Hi" Lena was the first to speak

"Hi" the word fell from Stef's lips, she was transfixed. This woman was something else and the way she made Stef feel was exhilarating.

"Can I come in?" Lena looked at Stef with a smile.

"There is a fee" Stef quipped

"Oh really now, what's the fee?"

"A hug" Stef opened her arms as she spoke

Lena took a couple of steps forwards and wrapped her arms around Stef midrib. As she leaned in to let her chin rest on Stef's shoulders, Stef quickly snuck a kiss on the lips, before settling into the embrace.

"There was no mention of any kisses in the entrance fee" Lena scolded as she rubbed her hands up and down Stef's back.

"It's in the fine print" Stef laughed

"Ah of course it is" Lena laughed back

"Hi Lena" a tiny voice came from the back of the room.

The two women turned to find Brandon standing in the hallway, still as a rock looking at them intently.

"Hi Brandon" Lena, responded, stepping away from her embrace and walked forward towards Brandon "How are you?"

"I'm fine" His response was subdued, not the normal delight he would express whenever he engaged with Lena. Lena pretended she didn't notice and carried on as though nothing was unusual, but she could feel his hesitance towards her, the uneasiness that filled the space between them.

"Brandon, we have manners in this house, you know that" Stef stepped in when she realised that her son was not particularly concerned about politely asking of Lena's well being.

But Lena could tell the little boy was not his usual self and stepped in as soon as she realised he didn't have a response "Was that you I heard playing the piano?"

Brandon nodded "Mrs Rogers taught me to play a new song"

"I would love to hear it"

"Maybe later, I'm tired of playing now" Brandon's voice was cold.

"That's ok, even Beethoven needs a break" Lena responded with a smile

Brandon looked over at Stef "Mom can I watch cartoons?"

"May I please watch cartoons" Stef corrected

"May I please watch cartoons?" he recited back to her

"Yes you may, but you know the rule, only 2 shows!"

Brandon turned instantly and walked to the living room.

Stef took in a deep breath "I'm sorry"

Lena turned to look at Stef "No need to apologies, he seems out of sorts is he ok?"

"I told him about us this morning"

"Oh wow, ok, how did he take it?"

The two women made their way towards the kitchen as they spoke

"He seemed fine when I spoke to him, I asked him if he was ok and he said he was fine"

Lena rubbed Stef's back "It's all still very fresh give him time to process it all."

Stef smiled and took a moment to consider what Lena had said "Yeah, I hope so"

"Have a little faith" Lena replied.

The smile that spread across Stef's face was one of self amusement. Maybe she'll try a little faith, she thought, only because Lena suggested she did. Oh she was in trouble she thought, she was going to trust faith because Lena had suggested it, yip this was definitely love. She looked at Lena "Do you want some coffee?"

"I would love some thank you"

They sat at the kitchen counter for a while; Lena listened to Stef recount some of her conversation with Brandon, marvelling at how well he seemed to be taking things. They discussed Stef's impending meeting with the lawyers, how she felt nervous. Lena offered words of support as she listened. When Stef looked down at her empty coffee cup, she glanced at her watch it said 9.25am.

"I need to get going" She said looking back up at Lena

"Yes of course, are you going to be ok?"

"Yes I'm going to be fine, are you?"

Lena winked at Stef "We'll be fine"

Stef made her way to TV room where Brandon was sitting on the floor watching morning cartoons.

"B, sweets, mom needs to go to that meeting she was talking about this morning. I need you to be a good boy while Lena looks after you. Can you do that for me please?"

"OK" Brandon displaying very little interest in what Stef had to say and continued to stare at the TV

Stef kissed the top of his head and turned to Lena

"He's eaten so he should be fine, the fridge is stocked..."

"Stef, we'll be fine" Lena interrupted

"I know" Stef replied

They both walked back into the kitchen where Stef collected the things she had set aside to take with her to the meeting. She turned to look at Lena

"Thank you again for this"

"Go or you will be late"

"Ok I'm gone" She leaned in and gave Lena a kiss on the cheek

"Bye Brandon" Stef spoke loudly

They barely heard the half hearted response that Brandon gave. They both laughed at how uninterested he seemed with Stef's departure. Lena rubbed the side of Stef's arm.

"I'll be back as soon as I can" Stef spoke

Lena smiled and they exchanged warm loving looks before Stef made her way out the door.

Lena poured herself a cup of tea before making her way into the living area where Brandon was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed starring at the TV.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?"

Brandon nodded yes in response without looking at Lena. Lena sat down in the arm chair across from the TV. They sat in silence watching Tom and Jerry dart around on the screen, Brandon would let out a little laugh every once in a while. It wasn't long before the show ended; and Brandon picked up the remote and switched off the TV.

"Mom says I can only watch two" he spoke without a word being uttered by Lena. Lena watched as Brandon stood.

"Do you want to play a game?" he asked without looking at Lena

"I would love to" Lena responded, watching him make his way to a chest of drawers on the other side of the room. He opened a draw, stood quietly for a moment before he pulled out a big box and walked back to the coffee table in the middle of the room. He put the box down at the centre of the table and kneeled down to start unpacking the pieces in the box. Lena stood from her chair and walked to where Brandon was sitting; she put her tea on the table and sat on the floor opposite Brandon.

"I like monopoly" She spoke as she pulled a cushion under her

"Me too" Brandon responded without looking up.

"Which one do you want" he offered Lena first dibs at the different playing tokens. Lena looked at the options in the box for moment and settled on the top hot. Brandon chose the car. He quietly set up the game and the two sat in comfortable silence playing.

"Can I ask you something Lena?" Brandon spoke without warning.

"Of course honey"

"Do you love my mom?"

Lena looked at Brandon, who continued to look at the board game in front of him. "Why do you ask?"

"My mom said she loves you" Brandon continued to look down at the game.

Even though she could feel the blood rush through her body, Lena kept her composure. She thought carefully for a moment about how best to respond. "How does that make you feel?"

Brandon shrugged his shoulders "It's ok I guess."

"Yeah"

"Yeah" he recited back to Lena, silence falling on them again.

"Mom used to be sad all the time, she thinks I didn't see, but now she's happy again, and I like it when she's happy."

Lena felt the lump in her throat rise, her eyes welled up. She smiled at Brandon who looked down as he moved his piece three blocks up. "I love your mom very much" Lena spoke softly. Brandon smiled.

When Stef walked back into the house, she was greeted with the sound of chatter and laughter in the kitchen. She walked through the passage slowly listening to Lena and Brandon chat away.

"You got some on your nose" She heard Lena's voice

Brandon giggled

"There going to be nothing left if you keep eating it before we've finished." Lena spoke again with laughter in her voice.

"How long will it take to be ready?" Brandon asked

"It should take about 30mins" Lena responded

Stef stood at the kitchen door and the sight of Brandon and Lena standing over the kitchen counter with a giant mixing bowl in front of them was delightful. There were eggs, flour, milk and oatmeal spread out on the table. Brandon was the first to spot Stef.

"Hi Mom"

"Hey buddy, what you guys up to?" She spoke as she walked into the kitchen.

"Lena and I are making oatmeal cookies" he responded with a giant smile

"Wow that's fantastic" Stef walked over to the both of them. She brushed her hand over Brandon's head and leaned down to give him a kiss. "Have you been a good boy?" She asked with her head buried in his head. Brandon nodded in reply. Stef then looked up and walked the 3 steps over to Lena and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You two seem to be having fun?"

Lena looked back with a smile, her eyes silently reassuring Stef that all is ok with her and Brandon. "I hope you don't mind but Brandon and I thought we'd try our hand at making you some cookies for when you get home"

"Well thank you very much you two, can I help?"

"No me and Lena are almost finished" Brandon piped up

Lena laughed as she looked over at Stef "Brandon has been a fantastic little helper"

"Good boy" Stef responded looking at Brandon.

Stef sat at the kitchen counter and watched them put the final touches to their oatmeal cookies before sticking them in the oven. They cleaned up the mess on the kitchen counter and the three of them decided that hot dogs were in order for lunch. They sat at the small table in the back garden. Lena and Brandon recited the day's events to Stef, Brandon rejoicing at how he made Lena pay her lots of money for all the real estate he owned during their game of monopoly. After lunch Brandon ran around the back garden with toy aeroplane as Stef and Lena looked on.

"How did the meeting go" Lena spoke reaching out to intertwine her fingers with Stef's

Stef held her breath for a moment. "It was fine" she looked straight ahead at Brandon.

"What did they say?"

"Aaahh, as long as Mike doesn't contest the divorce it should be done in 6 months. They are going to draw up the divorce papers and file and serve them to Mike in the next week or so."

"And Brandon?"

"I've asked them to petition Mike to give me full custody, but we won't know how that will play out until Mike responds to the request for the divorce. They said it's not likely that a judge will take Brandon away from me, if Mike counters the request given his current history"

"OK, well that's great right?"

"Yeah" Stef's response was subdued and half hearted.

Stef's reaction to this conversation made Lena feel uneasy, Stef felt distant and disconnected. She knew and understood that this was not going to be easy for Stef, ending a marriage never is, but she had hoped at the very least that Stef would let her know how this was affecting her.

"Any regrets?" Lena asked tentatively

Stef immediately turned and looked at Lena "No, of course not my love" Stef curled her fingers around Lena's and raised their hands to kiss the back of Lena's. "Why would you even think that?"

Lena felt silly for feeling insecure "I...I don' know why asked that, it's silly" She spoke with a slight laugh hoping Stef would dismiss that moment.

"Can we have a cookie now please?" Brandon spoke loudly as he stood in the middle of the garden.

Stef looked over at Lena with a, 'this is your call', expression written on her face.

"Yes, I think they have cooled down now" Lena responded to Brandon

"Yay" Brandon dropped the plane he was playing with and made a B-line for the kitchen.

"Cookies and milk it is" Stef spoke with excitement as she got up from her chair, pulling Lena up with her. As they started walking to the door, Stef suddenly stopped and turned right into Lena pulling her into a hard kiss on the lips. The moment caught Lena completely by surprise, but as she felt the eagerness with which Stef held her she was quick to allow herself to sink right into the embrace. The kiss was deep, all tongue and full of heated passion. Stef was the first to pull apart; she took a satisfied and self congratulatory breath. Lena stood in silence catching her breath.

"I've wanted to do that since you walked through the door this morning"

Lena laughed, "I can tell"

Without another word, Stef grabbed Lena's hand in hers turned around and walked towards the kitchen.

The trio decided that an afternoon movie was in store; they each grabbed a cookie and a glass of milk and made themselves comfortable on the couch. Brandon was given that task of choosing the movie and of course it would be his favourite, Finding Nemo, a movie he and Stef had seen what seemed like a gazillion times. Stef and Lena sat like a pair of teenagers holding hands on the couch. The movie finished and Stef got Brandon in a bath and ready for dinner, while Lena whipped up a salad with grilled fish. Brandon was particularly chatty during dinner, entertaining Lena and Stef with interesting facts about the things he learned during his piano lessons. Lena and Brandon seemed in their element discussing the names of famous classical musicians. Brandon was in bed and out like a light by 8pm.

Stef and Lena grabbed a cup of tea and settled themselves on the couch. Stef tucked herself snugly under Lena's arm and rested the back of her head on Lena's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to arrange for Brandon to stay with my father tonight, I know I promised I would get us some alone time"

"It's ok, I really enjoyed today. I'm really happy we got to spend the day together"

"I was really nervous when I left this morning, I felt guilty about speaking to Brandon about us and then leaving you two alone together, especially after his reaction towards you" Stef eyes were wide with concern as she spoke.

"Yeah that could have gone really badly. But we're fine. We had an interesting conversation while you were gone."

"Oh really?" Stef looked over at Lena

Lena ran her eyes over Stef's face "He told me that you love me"

"He what?" Stef spoke as she sat up to face Lena

"Why do you look so surprised, don't you love me?" Lena's face was playful.

The tension that had arisen in Stef's face melted away, she leaned over and gave Lena a kiss on the lips. "Of course I love you"

Lena pulled Stef into her and they locked themselves in a deliciously rich and erotic kiss. Stef pulled Lena on top of her as she manoeuvred her body to lie on the couch. She pulled Lena down on her hard. Lena ran her hand through the back of Stef's neck and into her hair. Stef's feet tingled from the sensation; she could feel the arousal and heat rise through her body, causing her heart to flutter.

Lena pulled back reluctantly, Stef moaned at the sensation of loosing Lena's lips.

"How do we always manage to get ourselves in this position" Lena whispered, recalling the agony of having to stop the other night.

Stef didn't respond, her brain was sitting somewhere near her feet, she leaned up to try and capture Lena's lips again but Lena pulled back up.

"We can't and I should go" Lena hissed

"No no no no" Stef whined as she pulled Lena back down kissing the base of her neck, the sensation causing Lena to pure in Stef's ear.

"We can't, Brandon is just down the hall" Lena tried very hard to reason.

"Brandon is fine, and he's fast asleep" Stef kissed her way up the side of Lena's neck and over her jaw "I miss you" her voice was sultry and wanton. She nibbled on Lena's earlobe as she spoke.

Lena resolve collapsed as she felt Stef flip her tongue against the back of her ear. She turned her head and enveloped Stef's lips in hers. Stef tucked her leg between Lena's. It wasn't long before the sensations of touching each other was not enough and hands had slipped under clothing. Lena pulled back up again, her breathing was heavy; her eyes were full of desire. Stef propped herself up on her elbows.

"Bedroom" was all Lena said.

Stef bit her bottom lip and nodded her head. They untangled themselves off the couch and began walking towards Stef's bedroom. Stef grabbed Lena's waist as she followed Lena. As they entered the bedroom, Stef was suddenly very conscious of what was happening, and the beating of her heart began to be erratic, and nerves rolled through her stomach. This was not the first time she and Lena had made love but Stef was very conscious of how inexperienced she was at being with a woman. Lena exuded confidence in bed; she was comfortable with her body. While their first time together had been both satisfying and passion filled, Stef realised after that experience that making love to a woman was nothing like being with a man. Lena was the first woman Stef had been with and she felt like a baby learning to walk.

As they stood in the middle of the bedroom they turned and faced each other and let their foreheads rest together. Stef tilted her head and began tracing gentle kisses down Lena's cheek. Lena began to undo Stef's shirt, she titled her head to the side to allow Stef room to make her way down her neck. If Stef had learned anything the first time she had been with Lena it was that making love to a woman was a gentle, delicate and sensual act. Things had always felt hard and rushed when she had been with men. Mike in particular was very aggressive in bed and so Stef had learned to grab, and pull and bite. With Lena things seemed to be far more sensual, seductive and erotic.

They removed each other's clothes leaving only their underwear, Stef gently walked Lena backwards towards the bed. They fell together and immediately entangled themselves. Stef was the first to make a move down Lena's body and she marvelled at how everything about Lena's was different from a man's. There was no hair on her chest, her skin was so incredibly soft and smooth to the touch, her breasts where supple and even when her nipples where hard they felt softer somehow. As she ran her hand down Len's leg, the silky sensation immediately aroused Stef at her core. She loved how Lena's skin felt against hers, how her scent made Stef feel dizzy with desire and how Lena managed taste like the perfect mix of spicy and sweet at the same time, it made Stef salivate. Stef had never felt any of these emotions making love before, everything about being with Lena was sensationally new and exciting. It was marvelling to Stef the way Lena's body seemed to react to the slightest touch, the most delicate flick of the tongue. This time Stef wanted to be more pleasing to the touch and graceful in how she devoured Lena's body.

Stef took her time, she paid attention to every reaction that brought Lena pleasure, memorising the parts of her body that made her moan and hiss with gratification. It surprised Stef how aroused she became by Lena's arousal. All of a sudden sex was no longer a chore to be completed, but a delicacy to be enjoyed. Lena's orgasm made Stef's heart stop with excitement, they lay still for a moment as Lena made her way down. Stef slowly kissed her way up Lena's thigh, along her leg to the tip of her large toe, then back down towards her stomach and up her chest. Lena ran her hands through Stef's hair guiding her way back up her body. When their eyes met, Lena's eyes were glazed and satiated with gratification. They smiled at each other. Lena lifted her head to give Stef a kiss, and then slowly made her way down Stef's neck; Lena pulled Stef towards her and swiftly rolled her over.

"Oh that was good" Stef commented educing them both to laughter.

Lena looked at Stef with complete desire in her eyes before tracing her tongue down Stef's cheek. Stef was on fire, her toes curled and she dug her heels deep into the bed. She had never know a feeling this enthralling ever in her life, it took every ounce of her strength not to scream with delight. She grit her teeth and growled hard as Lena made her way down her body inch by inch. Every suction of Lena's lips against her skin felt like perfection, every flick of the tongue made Stef tingle with delight. As Lena worked her magic, Stef began to feel light headed, she felt her body lift off the bed, she pulled a pillow over her head and bit hard as her moaning became louder and louder. Stef doesn't remember passing out but she does remember the feeling of Lena's lips kissing her closed eyelids. Stef slowly opened her eyes, she blinked a few times, and when she regained her vision Lena was hovering above her like a goddess in a halo of curls.

"Hey, welcome back" Lena spoke softly

"Hey" Stef's voice was hoarse and dry

Stef caught her breath realising just want an amazing experience that was, as she looked deeply into Lena's brown orbs she was overcome. Her eyes welled "I love you" she whispered. The electricity of their emotions for each other bounced off the walls. Lena was overcome seeing Stef so vulnerable and open "I love you" she mouthed back as her bottom eyelids filled with tears. Lena leaned down and buried her head in Stef's neck, they held each other tightly.

The lay facing each other, neither of them spoke a word. Stef played with a piece of hair that had fallen on Lena's face and as she twirled the curl around her finger she couldn't help but admire how captivating the features of Lena's face were. A smile spread across her face.

"What?" Lena spoke tenderly

Watching Lena's lips move was like watching clouds float through the sky.

"Nothing" Stef responded smiling even harder this time.

"Seriously, what are you thinking?"

Stef blushed hard and shook her head against the pillow "No, I can't"

"Come on, please!" Lena begged

Stef looked at Lena intently for a moment, she closed her eyes. "I think you are breathtakingly stunning" the words rolled from Stef's mouth as though she was making a confession rather than a statement.

"Stef" Lena felt a lump rise to her throat for the second time that day as she tried to adjust to how incredible those words felt coming from Stef

"Are you getting all mushy on me Officer Foster?" the words catching in Lena's throat as she spoke

"I'm allowed to get mushy when I am speaking the truth"

It seemed as though there where very few occasions when Stef managed to say the right words at the right time without putting her foot in it, but right now she had got it perfect. They curled into each other's arms, neither of them remembers falling asleep, but it was the most peaceful sleep either one of them had had in a long time.

_A/N: Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read this story, an even bigger thank you to everyone that has taken the time to post a review. _


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